Home Again

[Relairah]

Aah! Today was pleasant, indeed. A light breeze caused the blades of grass to dance across the Doresu Fields of the Shinkou packlands and sent the seeds of dandelions flying. Wildflowers speckled the clearing and even the leaves rustled in song. He bounded along, snapping at a few butterflies and birds that burst into the air from the grasses. His tongue lolled from the side of his mouth and his golden eyes were alight, his long, brown, bushy tail wagging.

How nice to be back in his homeland. It was strange, he thought to himself. For, honestly, he had lived little of his life here. Still... it was his birthplace. Perhaps that was all it was to him. Well, whatever it was... it was nice... somewhere he could find peace from his travels for a time.

He flopped on his back in the foliage, gazing up at the white puffy clouds in the endless blue above, letting his large paws dangle above him. He was perhaps an average wolf in appearance, with a round head, fluffy triangular ears, a round body and strong limbs. His fur was various shades of brown, darker even some black, though it faded evenly. But he was certainly unique, or at least he felt he was so. One only needed to get to know him. Indeed... who knew what this day might hold in store!

[WolfieIsCrazy]

There was a soft Breeze as Brooke shook the water off her fur. She could of just walked on the river to get across, but that wouldn't of been as fun. She sat down in a patch of grass and watched a butterfly go from flower to flower. The breeze was soft, but strong enough to make the tall grass shake, creating what looked to be an ocean of green. Brooke did this every morning. She would swim or walk across the river, then spend the morning in her favorite field.

She wondered why this was her favorite field. It was the same as all the others in the Doresu Fields. She laid down, hoping a peaceful nap would bring back memories.

She could see herself and a young male playing in a field. She recognized it in a heartbeat, it was the place she had fallen asleep in, her favorite field. The young male was various shades of brown, some spots even black. She recognized him fairly quick. It was Aurek, she had always came to this very field and played with him for hours. They had been very close, but then ... he just ... disappeared. She hadn't seen him since. They had always had a close bond, she always had a certain feeling when he was near. She thought it was helpful since he could teleport.

When Brooke awoke, she felt different. Not in a way that she usually felt after a long nap. She remembered her dream, she could see Aurek in her head. She knew he was near, she just didn't know exactly where to find him. She stood up and stretched, she started heading towards the river, when she saw a wolf playing on the other side. She hadn't seen him around before, perhaps a loner. She decided she would walk on the river, to make as little noise as possible.

Once she had gotten to the other side, the wolf was lying down on his back with his paws dangling in the air. He seemed quite comfortable in these lands for a loner, if he happens to be one. As she approached the wolf, she noticed he looked quite familiar. She couldn't remember where she had seen him, but it didn't matter. She fixed her body language, making sure she wouldn't offend or threaten the strange wolf.

When she reached him, she only chose simple words. "Hello"she said in a soft voice, " Where have you come from?" She chose her words carefully, making sure she didn't sound too demanding or overpowering. She stood and watched the wolf waiting for his reply.

[Relairah]

Ears perked, his head turning toward the voice and golden eyes falling upon her form. Well, she was a pretty one. He felt a stir within him, something familiar. But he couldn't pinpoint it for certain. Afterall, it had been quite a while for him since he had been here. He made no motion to get up however, only smiled. "Well, hello to you too." His tail thumped the earth slightly. "I come from here and there. Although originally I was born here. Yourself?" He turned his gaze back toward the sky, waiting on her answer.

[WolfieIsCrazy]

The male stayed where he was, and made no sign that he would get. "Well, hello to you too." He said with his tail thumping against the ground. He said he had come from here and there, was he a loner or a wanderer? She thought to herself. Then he said that he was born here. Hmm, she got lost in thoughts of her past, then realized that she was being quite rude when he asked her a question. "Oh, i've lived here all my life." She couldn't help but notice how handsome he was. he looked up toward the sky, the wing blew a soft breeze, causing both of of their pelts to sway in the wind. She looked over back over to the water and sat down next to him.

She wanted to go back to the water. She always felt that when she was away from water, no matter what form it was in, it called her. Telling her to come. She sighed and looked back to the male, noticing all the scars on him. If she had known him, she would be in his face, inspecting everyone. She thought it might be rude so she just sat. "Oh, I forgot to ask, what is your name. Mine is Brooke, as in water. See this mark under my eye?" She asked, leaning closer so he could see the streak of blue under her eye. She leaned back and continued talking. "My magic is water. Do you have magic?"

[Relairah]

He nodded when she answered his own question, saying she had been here her whole life. Well, that was nice, he thought to himself. It was almost funny to him, how different that was from himself, whose life had ended up being nothing but adventures and travels all over the place. He certainly had learned a lot in his short life so far.

Ears perked again when she asked another question, and then proceeded on a short narrative of sorts including information about herself and yet another question. Another smile graced his lips when she mentioned her name. So familiar. But no way. It couldn't be... even though she looked to be the same age as himself. Was it possible? If so, my how she'd grown. But that was to be expected. So had he. A chuckle rose in his throat at how seemingly friendly and comfortable she was. Maybe that was just her personality. He looked at her when she moved closer, talking about her marking, his face observant. No doubt about it. The mark was the same. He couldn't mistake it. Still, he, for a split second, debated hiding his identity a bit longer - just for fun. But nah, that wasn't his own self. He was a very direct sort of creature. Still, he might be able to pull off making her think he hadn't yet recognized her.. at the very least.

He looked toward the sky once more. "Well, Brooke, your name is quite pretty. And it certainly matches you in several ways." He paused. "I suppose I shall answer in turn. My name is Aurek." He paused again, partially for dramatic effect, to let it sink in. "And yes, I do have magic... teleportation specifically. Funny story of how I discovered it in the first place. I was bounding around, a playful young pup, imagining crazy things I thought couldn't be real, and next thing I know, I'm running in this weird forest being chased and tormented by things of my worst nightmares. Needless to say it definitely wasn't home." He shook his head after speaking, as if to rid himself of the memory.

"No such thing will happen to me again though," he said lightly. "I have since mastered my abilities." Another pause. "I also have electricity powers... although I only use them when necessary in a battle. I would call them my secondary power, I suppose." He looked at her once more, curious to what her reaction would be, and what she would say next.

[WolfieIsCrazy]

Brooke blushed and turned her head to the side at the comment about her name. "My name is Aurek. She sighed and waited for him to continue. Once he said he could teleport, she knew who he was. Her eyes began to glow, and she grew a large grin on her face. She began to dance around while water danced around her. She paused, then sat before howling at the sky. She was just too excited. Once she was happy, no one could stop her. She turned to Aurek, before pouncing on him. Not knowing if he had moved, or was even hurt. She didn't care, her friend from her puppyhood had returned! She stopped and gave him a playful lick over the ears, before getting off of him.

She sat in front of him. She stared at him, but wasn't looking at him. She watched as images raced through her mind of her puppyhood. "So." She said, now calm. "where did you go, anyway?" Her voice was timid, he had taken a large part of her heart with him. She recalled that day when he had disappeared, he had left her with a broken heart. And all alone. She was shy as a pup,and her only friend was him. Maybe it was a good thing he left, now I have more friends. She thought to herself. But nothing could of replaced the chunk of heart that he had taken when he left.

[Relairah]

Aurek was a little surprised and caught off-guard at her reaction. He supposed he had sorta forgotten that she was perhaps as direct as himself in ways. He let out a soft, "Oof!" when she pounced on him and licked him, giving a sheepish grin and a small chuckle. He was a little relieved when she got off and calmed down a bit though he was still quite amused. It reminded him of when he actually had been a pup. It seemed so long ago to him.

Finally, he rolled off his back, sitting up slightly so he could see her properly as she turned serious again. He released a soft sigh. "Somewhere you never want to go, Brooke." He paused, his eyes growing a little distant, but soon they shone like their resiliant self again and it was clear he had pushed the memory aside once more. "It's very far away and honestly, I'm a little surprised I didn't die there, looking back. But I suppose the gods have their purposes. In any case, I'm not the same wolf you knew back then. Not entirely."

Aurek wasn't sure how much he should tell her. She was a childhood friend, and he felt he could trust her and confide in her. In fact, he wanted to. But he was timid about it. He never really had been one to speak seriously about his past, particularly the earlier memories. He had on occassion talked about some of his shining moments when bragging to others in times past. But that wasn't now. He had many secrets and he wasn't sure if Brooke wouldn't be scared away from him on learning them.

He released a soft sigh. "I didn't stay there very long. I just so happened to meet two other... wolves there." He had hesitated before saying 'wolves' for a reason. They were wolves, but quite far from ordinary ones. "Needless to say, I somehow ended up becoming their companion. From there we travelled all over for various purposes. I parted from them when I was older and learned quite a bit on my own. They crossed paths with me later, but it was brief. And now I find myself home again."

He became silent after saying this, somewhat waiting on her response and somewhat contemplative. He had answered her question and filled her in on his whereabouts, although in a way he had revealed nothing since he hadn't really given her much on the area of detail. Perhaps soon someday he would and she would learn everything, even the secret he had sworn to keep from any wolf in the Shinkou lands. But only time would tell...

[WolfieIsCrazy]

Brooke could tell by the look in his eyes, that he didn't like to talk about the time he was away from Shinkou. "Well i'm glad your back now." She could read a wolves' expression and body movements better than anyone else, and she knew he had a secret. She was about to ask him what it was but stopped when she remembered his expression when he only told her a little bit of his time away. His eyes had looked so lost, so ... far away. She looked up at the sky and noticed it was getting dark. "Oh, man. I'm late." She stood up and paced in front of him wondering if she should invite him to the dens. She stopped and looked at him. "So do you want to go back with me, or do you have a place to sleep?" She hoped he didn't so he could stay by her. She didn't want to lose him again.

[Relairah]

He smiled at her. Yes, he was back... It was then she looked toward the sky and said she was late... he looked at her curiously. "Late? For what?" he asked. He supposed if she didn't tell him, he would find out sooner or later. She then asked if he wanted to accompany her. Well, since he had accidentally teleported from Shinkou so long ago, he had grown accustomed to sleeping on his own. So had he been planning that night as well. But things had changed a bit. It would be nice to share some company for once, especially in a friend.

He smiled again. "Sure, I can go with you." He waited for her to lead the way. Not because he didn't know where the dens were, but because she had invited him.

[WolfieIsCrazy]

She sat up and told him what was going to happen tonight. "Well, my friends daughter is going to get her rank. It is a full moon tonight, or have you forgotten." Brooke said with an evil smirk. She sat up and gestured her head toward the river for him to follow. As she approached the river her eyes began to glow. She put one paw on the river then walked calmly over it. As she got half way, she looked back at Aurek and on her face formed a large puppy grin. She always enjoyed showing off her talents since she was the only wolf with water magic. She always thought it made her feel special. She enjoyed using it to help out others, especially with the healers. As she reached the other side, she stopped to wait for Aurek.

[Relairah]

OoC: Lol there are lots of wolves with water magic in Shinkou, lub xD

iC:

Aurek shook his head when she teased him, letting out a laugh. "Well, sounds exciting. Wouldn't want to miss it. Although, we have a bit of time. The moon hasn't yet risen." He followed her, and when she showed off walking across the water he smiled back at her, wagging his tail. He could've just teleported across, but it took the fun out of getting wet. He leaned back and pounced into the water, making a significant splash and as he began wading across, he attempted to splash Brooke in the process. Once he reached the other side, he shook out his pelt. "I'm impressed. You've developed your abilities," he complimented her as they would be on their way again.

Soon they would reach the dens and perhaps see a group of wolves gathered.

((I'll let you kinda direct things xD))

[WolfieIsCrazy]

((oops i meant of her friends ))

Brooke continued on as Aurek got out of the water. "I hope you run fast." She said with a smirk before dashing off into the forest. She knew the lands like she knew the water. She could practically run through it with her eyes closed, but she refrained from doing so. As they got closer to the dens she could smell the excitement. It had been so long since any wolf had gotten their rank. The wolves were all crowded together, waiting for the ceremony to start. "Stay her for a sec." Brooke said before heading to a wolf and talking.

Brooke looked up at the fully grown wolfess. "Do you mind if I bring a wolf that well, ... isn't really from this pack." The wolfess stared at her with confused eyes. "Whatever do you mean?" Brooke shifted from paw to paw nervously. She had no clue why she was nervous, she has known this wolf for almost all her life, she was even raised by her. "Well, he used to belong to this pack, but then ..." She paused before continuing, not quite knowing how to phrase it. "Then he uh, disappeared." She looked up to the wolfess. "What do you mean disappeared. A wolf just can't disappear into the air." She stopped and thought for a minute. "Wait a second, I used to know a pup who could do something like that. You couldn't possibly been talking about Aurek."

Brooke didn't know if she was happy or angry at the return of her friend. She just spoke from the heart. "Yes, and you know that I have been awaiting his return ever since he left. So if he goes, I go." The wolfess looked down at her somewhat surprised. She softened her gaze and spoke quietly. "I know you have, if he wants to come, that is his choice not mine." She turned and walked.

[Relairah]

OoC: Oh okay haha

iC:

A grin lit up Aurek's lips when she challenged him on his speed. Aurek may not have been one of the strongest wolves, but in speed, he had yet to meet anyone who could match him (well someone equal in size and such). He sprang forward, keeping up with Brooke easily. His eyes saw each obstacle as if he moved slowly and he maneuvered with ease, moving past her as he ran. This was bliss, he thought as he felt his fur rippling, his muscles tense and relax, and his paws bounce off the earth. Soon, however, the run was over and he easily came to a stop, staying where Brooke had directed him, not because he had no choice but because he mine as well go along with it.

While she conversed with the other wolfess, Aurek looked around, observing the ones who were gathered to witness the event. There were many of several different ages and ranks. He was feeling rather happy. Although as he watched them, he had a strange distant feeling. It was true this was the pack of his birth, and he considered this land home. But he had spent most of his life away seeing the world and as much as they had missed his growth, so he had missed theirs. Like when you're a little kid and your family moves and when you come back to visit, things have greatly changed and others have moved forward and changed, in a good way, but apart from you. But Aurek was not one to linger on a sadness or to feel sorry for himself.

So instead, he pushed the thoughts aside. Whatever the case, the fact was he was back now and he was himself and had the freedom to do whatever he pleased. Also, he was glad for his experiences. They had molded him, taught him many things, and matured him. He knew many things that some of these wolves before him may never know. Not that they didn't have knowledge he may not, but that was not his point. He was being optimistic. He was eager for this event, and excited. He didn't know who this wolfess was, but it was natural to be happy for her.

So he waited for Brooke to return to him and tell him whatever it was she wanted to, a pleasant look on his face and his golden eyes as brilliant as ever.

[WolfieIsCrazy]

Brooke turned around and headed back towards Aurek, he hadn't move, and quite honestly she was surprised. She thought he would of gone to say hi to the wolves he missed. Brooke got lost in thought and lost her footing tumbling in front of Aurek. She sat up and her nose pressed against his, she blushed and stood up. "So, uh you wanna go find a spot to sit?" Her voice was eager, hoping that the excitement would make him forget.

Brooke noticed her friend, Haruka. She bounded over to her and began to congratulate her on her daughter's achievement. "Where is she anyway?" Brooke asked looking to her right and left, in search of the wolf. "She's in the den." The wolfess said pointing her nose toward a large den.

[Relairah]

If the brown wolf thought anything of the brief contact between himself and Brooke, he gave no indication of it. Rather, he shrugged when she asked if he was going to find somewhere to sit. He moved forward, finding a nice spot not too mingly, but close enough. "I suppose..." he couldn't help but smile as she bounded about talking and such. She was certainly different also from when they had been pups. However, his mere observations were broken as he was approached by a somewhat older wolf in the pack.

The other didn't at first appear to recognize him, but Aurek knew the wolf well. He had been a close friend of his father's. His father had passed away while he had been gone, and he had been sad to learn of it when he had returned to Shinkou before. It was part of the reason he had left again, feeling the need to sort through things in his mind. But this wolf had comforted him, and even as a pup, long before, had been like an uncle of sorts. The wolf sat beside him, "So, checking out the ladies I see. Nothing changes as for young ones and their ways." The wolf had a smile on his face and his eyes glimmered.

Aurek glanced at the wolf and chuckled. "Oh, but life wouldn't be fun without a bit of mischief," came his reply.

"Now that's something your father would have said."

Aurek hesitated, a bit surprised this wolf brought up his father so casually considering how things had been when he last left. And the events which soon followed then. But he brushed it aside, knowing this wolf meant well. "Indeed." The other was trying to say he was similar to his father in a way. He was trying to be encouraging. "Tell me of things, Shayle."

"Oh, this and that." The wolf glanced at him, as if to gage his reaction, and when satisfied that Aurek's face was curious, he continued. "Well if you're that interested, things are stirring up in Giaku again. It's a shame, really. But I suppose that is our fate. Our borders have heavier security and many are restless, perhaps paranoid. I don't think we have anything to fear right this moment from them, but many remember the war so long ago and have their suspicions."

Aurek listened silently as Shayle went on, explaining different things of news and importance. Such was the conversation among males. He nodded now and again, adding in a question or comment of his own. The two conversed a while longer and finally Shayle stretched. "Well, enough of the serious chatter. Tell me of your whereabouts."

Aurek smiled, giving Shayle the information he had requested. He had seen much in recent times, of new packs and things going on in the bordering lands. Some others had scooted a bit closer to listen in on the conversation, though trying to be inconspicuous. Aurek didn't mind, going on about his adventures and such, his golden eyes shining.

"Say, Aurek, I knew that sounded like you!" exclaimed a younger wolf, bounding up, his tongue lolling and his tail wagging. Aurek glanced toward the other, ears perked, eyes curious. "Why, if it isn't Boundin' Baeh," Aurek said teasingly. He had met this wolf as a pup when he had last returned and had so nicknamed him for his energetic behavior. Well, that much hadn't changed, though Aurek to himself. Yes, he was welcomed warmly and catching up with others. Yet he still glanced at Brooke now and then, since technically he was her guest to this whole ordeal.